Hotels & Hospitality Industry Consultants

Scope & Range of Services

Overview: Kenneth Free is a hotel and resort with 40+ years experience in the business. He is a highly credible resource for operations, real estate development, feasibility, business valuation, and business interruption issues.

Degrees and Licenses held by the Principal: MBA-Finance, Bloch School of Management (University of Missouri in Kansas City); BS-Hotel Administration, Harrah College of Hotel Administration (University of Nevada in Las Vegas); Registered Resort Professional, American Resort Development Association; Master Hotel Supplier, American Hotel & Lodging Association; Real Estate Broker licensed by the California Department of Real Estate.

Detail: Mr. Free’s company, Straightline Advisors, provides Advisory and Expert Services for Hotels, Resorts, Resort Timesharing, Fractionals, Condo Hotels, Casinos, Spas, and Recreational Real Estate. These services may be in relation to new properties going through the development or pre-development stages, those that are open and in need of fundamental change, or in any situation where disputes have arisen among the parties.

Key areas of consulting and expert effectiveness are –

Advisory & Expert Services:

Project Concept Development Project Amenity Programming Strategy Development Project Predevelopment Matters Project Management Issues Acquisition of Financing Repositioning and Expansion Strategies Due Diligence for Property Acquisitions Management of Property Dispositions Investment / Financing Package Development

Lost Profits Calculation & Business Interruption Impacts Retail Pricing Analysis Absorption Forecasting Brand/System Affiliation Studies and Negotiations Franchise Disputes Disputes Between Partners Management / Marketing Company Search and Negotiations Operational Reviews or Audits Marketing Program Assessments

View Expert Witness Profile.

David Rutecki's career spans 39 years of Restaurant and Hospitality related experience. Working in more than 20 restaurants and involved in the opening of more than a dozen, he has worked every position possible within this industry. Mr. Rutecki currently owns and operates Mountain Deli in Hendersonville, garnering the 2016, 2017 & 2018 Blue Ridge Growth Award. He is a Member of the North Carolina and National Restaurant Associations. Mr. Rutecki has been invloved in the following selected restaurants:

• Fancy’s Food and Wine, Gourmet Shop, Coral Gables, South Miami & Grove Isle, Fl.
• Susie’s Bagels, Breakfast Restaurant, South Miami, Fl.
• Pizzaria Uno, Full Service Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Baystreet, Full Service Seafood Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Rusty Pelican, Upscale Seafood, Key Biscayne, Miami, Fl.
• Rudolph's BBQ, Upscale BBQ, Miami, Fl.
• Signature Gardens, Upscale Catering Hall, Miami, Fl.
• Chart House, Upscale Seafood, Coconut grove, Fl.
• Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Coconut Grove, Fl.
• Gatsby’s, Upscale Billiards and Cigar Bar, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Prezzo, Casual Italian, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Gatsby's, Upscale Billiards & Cigar, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Maxwell’s Chophouse, Upscale Steakhouse, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Mountain Deli, Delicatessen, Downtown Hendersonville, NC
• Tabica Grill, Upscale American, Jupiter, Fl.
• Jonathon's Landing Marina Club, Upscale Boating Club, Jupiter, Fl
• Jetty's, Upscale Seafood, Jupiter, Fl.
• Austin Grill, Casual, Washington, DC.

Litigation Support - David Rutecki offers expert witness and litigation support for restaurant related issues in Western North Carolina. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Areas of Expertise:

• Restaurant and Kitchen Design, Menu Development
• Food Safety and Sanitation
• Bar Operations & Liquor Liability... Dram Shop
• Safety & Security - Slips, Trips and Falls
• Concept Development & Restaurant Start Up, Partnership Issues
• Daily Operations & Management, Employee & Staffing Issues
• Retail Operations
• Work Flow Planning
• Staff & Mgmt Training Programs & Handbooks
• Site Selection and Development
• Business Plan Development

Howard Cannon, Restaurant, Bar, and Foodservice Industry Author, Speaker, Analyst, Consultant, Expert Witness, Mediator, and CEO has served dozens of the world's largest restaurant brands, and has worked in virtually every type and style of restaurant, bar, and food service industry environment, from convenience food to fine dining, and on behalf of nearly every type, size, and style of company, from Fortune 500 international companies to independent "mom-and-pop" operations. 

Author: Mr. Cannon’s world-famous books can be found in book stores in 76 countries around the globe including Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Amazon, and many other fine retailers. Mr. Cannon's most famous books, including, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting A Restaurant (1st & 2nd Edition,)", are highly-recognizable and read by tens of thousands of people. 

Restaurant Expert Witness, a division of Restaurant Operations Institute, Inc. - founded in 1987, is one of America's most highly-visible & highly-recognizable restaurant, bar, and foodservice industry consulting, expert witness, and advisory firms - providing restaurant, bar, and foodservice industry analysis, consultation, expertise, opinions, advice, management, mediation, content, and expert witness services to clients of all types and sizes, and in markets across the country and around the globe. View Howard Cannon's Expert Witness Profile

Consulting Services:

• Restaurant Expert Witness Services: litigation support - unbiased opinions, testimony, and reports - for Plaintiffs and Defendants in State and Federal courts. NO CHARGE for domestic travel.
• Restaurant Turnaround & Profit Improvement: for those looking to get better performance out of their restaurant or group of restaurants of any type, style or size anywhere across the country or around the world.
• Restaurant Start-Up: a wide variety of products and services, specializing in projects for high net worth individuals and for restaurants and bars that are well-funded.

Restaurant Seminars:

• How to Start a Restaurant – attended by people from every walk of life that dream of opening and operating a successful restaurant.
• How to Fix a Restaurant – attended by those who are already in the restaurant business in either a chain or an independent with responsibility for one to several dozen locations. These participants are generally looking for higher sales, lower costs, and better profits.

Custom Restaurant Industry Speeches & Seminars: providing unique and memorable speeches and seminars covering a wide variety of restaurant-based subject matter to audiences of all types and sizes in markets across the country and around the world. 

Website:  www.RestaurantExpertWitness.com  

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RestaurantExpertWtns/videos  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantExpertWitnessServices  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/restaurant-expert-witness/

realEats Consulting began as a resource website (www.realeats.org) for Florida International University, to acclimate students with the “green” supply chain and sustainability concepts. This resource site highlights over 400 “green” vendors offering thousands of “real” products.

realEats Consulting is focused on improving the operational performance of restaurants, hotels, and resorts. They specialize in providing a wide array of services for both corporate and independent operators including:

• Creating Sustainable Food and Beverage Programs
• Creating Sustainable Business Solutions
• Operations Management
• Financial Review
• New or Updated Training

realEats founder, Dr. Joel Feigenheimer, is an industry expert with over 35 years of experience related to the Restaurant and Hospitality field. He has spent a career developing relationships with industry associates around the globe. His “six degrees of separation” include executives with specialties in every area of hospitality. Over his career he has consulted on three continents, excelled in the corporate environment, been a successful entrepreneur, and met thousands of industry leaders. Now, as a full time educator at Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality, he has chosen “the best in the World” to join the realEats consulting team.

View Joel Feigenheimer's Expert Witness Profile.

Perry Group International, founded in 1985, provides consulting, interim hotel management and restaurant and hospitality expert services for lodging, food services, resorts, and nightclubs. Their group does work nationally and internationally with new startup, profitable, and under-performing and distressed hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, retail and mixed-use real estate.

The professionals at Perry Group International serve as third-party asset manager, owners representative, and advisor, for investors and owners. They also act as court appointed receivers and interim hospitality managers for lenders, operators, and their legal and real estate professionals.

Clients have included Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge among others.


Hospitality Management Consulting:

Interim Hotel Management Temporary General Manager Short Term Corporate Manager

Owners Representative Hotel Asset Manager Project Supervisor

Hotel Restaurant Nightclub Consulting:

Acquisition and Disposition Due Diligence Financial Evaluation and Impact Planning, Market Analysis, Feasibility Operations and Internal Review

Pre-opening / Post-opening Technical Support Restructuring and Repositioning Court Appointed Receiver Provisional Director

Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate.

Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained for over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally.

View Dennis Gemberling's Expert Witness Profile.

Qualfied Expert Witness & Consultant in Hotel and Real Estate Industry Business Issues:

• Market, economic & financial feasibility
• Valuation
• Disputes between owner-operator, borrower-lender, franchisor-franchisee
• Management contracts
• Ground & building leases
• Partnership & JV agreements
• Concession contracts
• Development agreements and loan documents
• Expert witness testimony
• Litigation strategy, consultation and support
• Damage calculations
• Lost profits analysis
• Real estate appraisals
• Deal structuring & workouts
• New development
• Strategic planning
• Market demand assessment
• Acquisition due diligence
• Economic, financial & investment analysis
• Can estimate damages and appraise property values under multiple scenarios
• Trained Arbitrator & Mediator

Winner of the Creative Counselor of the Year for appraising the Grand Canyon.

Leonard J. Backer has over 28 years of extensive and successful Furniture Industry experience in all key areas including:

Sourcing Private Label Production Product Development Original Design Marketing Branding Import and Distribution

Vendor Qualification Supplier Relations Contract Negotiations Customer Service Competitive Analysis Sales Agreements Designer Driven Approach

Mr. Backer has executive level perspective in start-up, turnaround and aggressive growth situations with long term industry relations, both domestically and overseas. He specializes in Private Label Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Product Development expertise.

Leonard Backer has provided extensive consulting work on short and long term projects. He has provided consulting work on various topics over the past few years for private equity companies, large branded manufacturers, and independent product designers. Mr. Backer has conducted site visits to 80 overseas and domestic factory operations. Worked closely with independent product designers.

View Leonard Backer's Expert Witness Profile.

Food Service & Restaurant Design Consultant. I have been involved in the design of restaurants and commercial kitchens for over 10 years. I have personally designed over 125 restaurants including front of house and back kitchen design, including project management. I have a B.A. in interior design. I have worked on projects throughout the United States and Phillipines, and Honduras.

Over the last 2 years I have owned my own company which has provided complete construction drawings for over 30 restaurants ranging from 1,500 sq. ft. to over 3,000 sq. ft. I have also been retained by architects and business owners to provide coordination drawings for commercial kitchen design for over 35 projects ranging in size from 1,000 sq. ft to 5,000 sq. ft. I have also worked on franchise restaurant projects for McDonalds, Chevy's Mexican Restaurant, Jamba Juice, Tahoe Joe's, Taxi's Hamburgers.

Horwath HTL specializes in Hotel, Tourism, and Leisure consulting. Their services cover every aspect of hotel real estate, tourism, and leisure development. Horwath has earned a reputation for impartial advice that will often mean the difference between failure and success. 

With a 100 year history, a global Brand, and 45 offices internationally, Horwath has successfully carried out over 20,000 assignments for private and public clients.

Horwath HTL is part of the Crowe Horwath network, a top 10 accounting and financial services network. They are the number one choice for companies and financial institutions looking to invest and develop in the industry. 

Consulting - Horwath HTL falls into two main categories; hotel real estate and tourism and leisure. For hotels, they provide expert advice on all aspects of development, including feasibility and planning, asset management, valuation, strategic advice and health and wellness. Their tourism and leisure team works with companies, municipalities, cities and governments on all aspects of destination development, marketing strategies, and project and management assistance. 

Key Services:

Hotel Planning & Development Tourism & Leisure Hotel Asset Management

Hotel Valuation Health & Wellness Strategic Advice

Paul Breslin, CHA, CHE, ISHC, is a 30-year veteran of the Hospitality Industry. His background within the industry is all encompassing, as he has extensive experience in hotel operations, development, and asset management with major branded hotels as well as independent and smaller luxury hotels. 

Background Experience - After working with eleven different hotels and resorts in ten different cities over the years, Mr. Breslin founded Panther Hospitality in 2005 to provide consulting services to developers and hoteliers in all aspects of their businesses. From property acquisition and infrastructure development to the successful opening and operating of a hotel, Mr. Breslin and his team of industry professionals leverage their expertise and customize their services to meet the needs of their global client base. He and his team have successfully consulted on a variety of establishments within the industry, including boutique hotels, both limited and full-service hotels, as well as luxury hotels, such as Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, IHG, and Hyatt. 

Previous to founding Panther Hospitality, Mr. Breslin held positions at the world-famous Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Spa, the Sheraton San Diego Resort, the Sheraton New Orleans and three convention hotels in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), which is the most prestigious hospitality certification available to a hotel general manager and hospitality executive. Mr. Breslin, who is qualified as a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), is also a respected and well-known teacher and leader within the industry. He is a frequent lecturer at national conventions and hospitality industry conferences throughout the United States. Mr. Breslin has also been quoted on hospitality issues in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Miami Herald.

View Paul Breslin's Expert Witness Profile.

Jeff Nelken, MA, retired RD, is a Food Safety / HACCP Expert who coaches personnel to improve food safety awareness, through Self-Inspection and Customized Quality HACCP Training Programs. He has worked with CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC, INSIDE EDITION, and Dateline MSNBC’s investigation team, as well as restaurants, casinos and food manufacturers. Mr. Nelken is a certified trainer and provider with the Los Angeles Health Department. Mr. Nelken works with his clients to maximize their effectiveness and profitability by improving the food safety / accident prevention performance of their people. He works in partnership with his client's culinary, safety, risk management team to deliver a variety of performance improving strategies that produce measurable results by strengthening the performance and productivity of both individual employees and the management team. With 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Mr. Nelken offers creative and affordable solutions that effectively impacts safety culture. 

Consulting / Training Services Include:

• Staff Training and Skill Development
• Accident Prevention / Food Safety Training
• Food Safety and HACCP Inspections and Audits
• Pre HACCP-AIB and Health Department Inspections
• SERVSAFE/NSF HACCP Training Certification Exam
• Policy and Procedure Development
• Health Department Representation
• Crisis Management Support - Vendor Recalls (24/7)
• Motivational Food Safety Speaker
• Product Representations
• Trade Show "Demo's"

View Jeff Nelken's Expert Witness Profile.

Gary Deel, Ph.D., J.D. has 10 years of experience in executive-level positions in the hospitality industry and 10 years of experience teaching hospitality management and law curriculum for some of the nation's top hotel schools.

Dr. Deel holds both a Ph.D. in Hospitality and a J.D. in Law, so he understands the nuances of expert witness testimony from the perspective of attorney strategy. He has also worked in a variety of different hospitality industry capacities including operations, sales, security and risk management, training and administration, and others. His services are available to help attorneys make the strongest possible arguments for clients in hospitality-related cases. Dr. Deel offers expert witness services nationwide in the areas of:

Hotels Resorts Restaurants Travel and Tourism Meetings and Events

Theme Parks Airlines Cruise Lines Casinos Golf Courses

Recent Cases:

• Suit against Miami beach resort involving catastrophic injury in the ocean and hotel duty to warn about latent hazards known to hotel and not obvious to visitors (plaintiff).
• Suit against Orlando city center convention hotel involving sexual assault of a minor guest by an employee and hotel duty to monitor employee whereabouts and activities (plaintiff).

ConsulTex and Associates is a Houston based security consulting company that provides security strategies for individual clients, law enforcement, and corporate security clients. ConsulTex is available nationwide to answer questions regarding security measures, or offer solutions that fit their clients' needs.

Services Include:

• Expert Witness Analysis
• Use of Force
• Police Procedure and Practice
• Security Tactics and Policies
• Training and Speaking Engagements

Principal, Roger W. Chappell, has over 25 years of experience in the Law Enforcement and Security industry. A 9 year Marine Corp Veteran, he is also a former corporate security manager, police crime prevention specialist, detective supervisor, police training manager, and internal affairs sergeant.

As Security Management Professional, his background includes an advanced 22-year law enforcement career with the highly regarded Houston Police Department. He received over 40 awards in that capacity, including supervisory and civilian commendations.

Mr. Chappell has more than 20 years of training and “hands on” experience evaluating, developing, and managing security and crime prevention programs. He coordinated numerous security related functions at hotels, bars and night clubs, and apartments. Mr. Chappell has handled large events during the Super Bowl, MLB All Stars, and NCAA Final Four events. He was also a hostage negotiator for over 12 years responsible for the safe resolution to highly stressful and violent events.

Roger Chappell has served as both a private sector security consultant and a public sector Master Peace Officer. He has earned a stellar reputation as an expert in hostage negotiation and received the prestigious Hostage Negotiator of the Year award in 2013.

View Roger Chappell's Expert Witness Profile.